


Remember Me When the Game Ends

by Blue_Mask



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Character Death, Ghost Neil Josten, It's a Wonderful Life, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements, ghost - Freeform, kevin and andrew can see ghosts, powers, supernatural powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29664858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Mask/pseuds/Blue_Mask
Summary: Andrew had always been a huge skeptic when it came to the existence of supernatural forces. So much so that he’d developed a talent for giving the un-explainable a reasonable explanation.But what happens when he’s recruited to one of the worst NCAA exy teams and one of his teammates seems to disappear into thin air the second they step off the court? And what happens when Andrew seems to be the only one with a recollection of him every time he disappears?CW: there will be mentions of r*pe, gore and violence, and obviously character death (nothing that hasn't been mentioned in the original work though)
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. The Worst Team in NCAA Exy and Their Less Than Savory Rival

Andrew had never really cared much for exy. Mind you, he was all into violent sports, he just didn’t see the appeal of running each other into walls because of a ball. But what else can a guy do to take out their immense frustration when the only thing that wouldn’t get his sentence prolonged was the damned sport. Of course, due to his tendency to become violent very quickly, he wasn’t allowed outside of the goal area. And that’s how he became one of the most promising goalies, with zero to none possibilities of making it big.  
At least that’s what he thought as he lounged on a plastic chair in the “recreational area” of the juvenile facility, his feet propped up on one of the tables at the back. The recreational area, if you could call it that, was essentially a barren room with a few chairs, two tables and an old box of a TV at the very front. There wasn’t much to do really, and with only one screen everyone had to civilly come together to choose something to watch. Most of the time that didn’t happen. But in the rare occasions in which it did, you could almost be certain that there was an exy match on. This relatively new sport had taken the world by storm and Andrew hated it already as he barely listened to the commentators call out a name he didn’t recognize.  
“Look at them, they’re terrible!” another inmate whose name Andrew couldn’t care to remember shouted towards the old box.  
“How’d they even make it to this level in the first place?”  
“Hella luck.” this time it was Darren who spoke up from his place, slumped on one of the plastic chairs. Andrew had met him on his first day in the juvenile detention facility when their fists had mutually found each other’s cheek, like love at first sight really.  
“Number seven’s good though, too bad she god red carded.” the first one spoke again.  
Andrew saw movement from the corner of his eyes as a blonde teen, who looked like he hadn’t slept in days, definitely younger than Andrew, moved from leaning on the left wall to where the rest of the group was sitting.  
“Wasted talent really, could’ve played for a better team,” he said.  
“Same for Day. What the hell he doin’ there?”  
His pathetic excuses for teammate’s voices rang across the room. Andrew barely knew the names of most of them except for the ones whose names coach Fleigh shouted out the most.  
Andrew snuck a glance from over his shoulder just in time to see an orange clad player exiting the court door. He recognized the uniform. It was hard not to with it being the ugliest most flashy orange shade he’d ever seen. The whole stadium was a blinding ray of colour next to the faded gray walls of the detention centre behind the TV. The uniform belonged to the Palmetto State Foxes, a team famous for their controversies more than their god awful playing skills. Coach Wymack, poor soul or masochistic bastard, had made it his life mission to take in troublesome rejects and societal liabilities as his most prized players and give them a second chance. It was quite obvious though that it wasn’t going exactly to plan. As it stood, the Foxes were the worst team in NCAA exy. So much so that even Andrew had wondered how they hadn’t been permanently eliminated from competitions. His conclusion had come in the form of Kevin Day, former Raven and one of the most promising players in NCAA exy, who, after a bad injury, had decided to take a coffee break and transfer to Palmetto State as an assistance coach. Just like that, Andrew thought, he’d most likely completed his work towards helping charity cases and would transfer back to Edgar Allan as soon as summer break hit. Andrew didn’t really care. The whole team was pathetic and the chances of that changing anytime soon were slim. He turned back to facing the wall and half listening as the other teens started spouting curses at the screen again.

___

Andrew found himself standing in front of Fox Tower the following July, a black suitcase dragging behind him and a backpack in hand as he stepped out of his car.  
Andrew had spent his last few months in juvie acting nice and had managed to get his sentence reduced by a few months. By Christmas he had returned as a fully integrated person in human society, at least by his standards. He couldn’t say he had expected most of what had happened afterwards. Least of all the Ravens’ manager showing up with a full scholarship and a sketchy lump in his back pocket which was shaped oddly like a gun. The Ravens were the strongest team in NCAA Exy, they had been for years. Over those years they’d garnered multiple controversies and allegations of abuse of their players. None of these ever lasted as their fame grew and their glorious wins overshadowed everything from their cult-like practices to their connections to shady business transactions. Everyone who knew something about exy, knew about them. But like an unspoken rule, no one ever uttered a word about them. Needless to say, Andrew had declined.  
The second to last thing Andrew had expected, was David Wymack showing up at one of his last games at the detention center to offer him a spot on the same team he’s called pathetic multiple times. His bitter thoughts told him that he’d fit right in with the team. He couldn’t give into it without protest though, his spiteful side willing to test the coach’s limits as he bargained with him about what he wanted in return, for his brother and his cousin to get a full scholarship and a place on the team as well.  
In hindsight, Andrew thought, coach Wymack must’ve been terribly desperate. Nicky’s dark hair glinted in the strong sunlight as he exited the driver’s side, Aaron quick to follow him out. It had only been a couple of months back when David Wymack had shown up demanding to see Andrew. The meeting was meant to be brief. Andrew was supposed to turn him away without even hearing him out first and carrying on with his life as if nothing had happened, just like he did with the Ravens. To Andrew’s utter dismay, Wymack had insisted into the late hours of the night, even going as far as showing up the next morning, willing to negotiate. Andrew should’ve told him no and refused to see him any longer, but the prospect of giving both his brother and cousin a chance to go to university and furthermore in a place where he could watch over them seemed way too sweet to him. In the end he’d made up his mind and signed the contract.  
He barged through the front door of Fox Tower, the student athlete dorms, which were bustling with voices of students settling in for the new term. Andrew had requested a shared dorm room for him, Aaron and Nicky. Wymack hadn’t argued much at the time. It was part of the negotiations after all. As Andrew approached the door to the dorm, he noticed it hung slightly ajar with rummaging noises coming from inside. The blond kicked the door open and was met with the sight of a tall man rummaging through a suitcase in front of the brown worn couch. An infuriatingly condescending expression turning towards him before it warped into one of a deer getting caught in headlights. Andrew noticed as the raven haired athlete visibly gulped, the black inking on his left cheekbone getting caught in the ceiling lights.  
“Kevin Day, how nice to finally meet you.”  
Andrew’s voice didn’t sway as he said it and inwardly huffed in amusement as Kevin’s eyes flashed with confusion. He made his way towards the ex-raven, making sure to keep a safe distance between him and Kevin. Andrew’s glare was intense as he eyes Kevin. This however didn’t seem to shake Kevin as his expression was veiled by something seemingly impenetrable.  
Interesting.  
Andrew noted. Then again, Kevin was an ex-raven, he’d only heard of their cult-like antics, but even the thought of them was enough to keep him away. Unlike some people he didn’t care enough about exy to sell his freedom away.  
Andrew moved past him, into the living space. The student athlete dorms were bigger than regular dorm rooms, but they were built to accommodate more than two students per room. Andrew guessed that he would be spending the next years of his life sharing a space with Kevin Day. In that case, he might as well do it on his own terms. He set his suitcase down in the bedroom and looked around. There were two bunk beds on either side of him, a closet and a dresser in the middle of the far wall, beneath a small window. Andrew noticed with annoyance that every window had a grating to keep insects away. He'd have to find some other place to smoke. Andrew turned to the top bunk on the left, the farthest away from the door, and noticed clothes hanging off the side railing. He quickly took it and threw it on the bottom bunk. By this point, Kevin had already caught up with him and was about to protest as soon as he saw his jacket being treated with disregard. He didn't get far as Andrew shot him a look that promptly shut him up. Kevin observed Andrew with an indignant frown for few more seconds before muttering: "Wymack wants to meet up in 30 at the stadium."  
"Great!" Andrew said ironically "maybe he'll let me complain enough about the dorm arrangements that I might be able to convince him to let you move out."  
"What? Why should I move out?" Kevin all but scoffed.  
"Well, Day, it's three against one. Didn't you learn that in kindergarten?" Andrew’s impassive stare didn’t budge as he said this.  
Kevin left the room with one last annoyed grunt. Andrew let himself flop onto the bed tiredly. He'd planned everything out before coming to Palmetto State. The best way to make it through by causing trouble but not enough to get expelled. In his planning he'd failed to include the possible variable of rooming with Kevin Day. So far that was the only arrangement where Wymack hadn't been able to keep his word. It wouldn't be too bad to share a dorm room with Day, Andrew realized that much, but it did annoy him, when things didn't go the way he wanted them to.  
He got up again with a short stretch of his back and quickly made his way to the living room to collect his cousin and brother to go to the stadium.


	2. A Nigh(mare) Out

Kevin had asked to tag along for the car ride and Andrew had decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. The short drive had lead them through a mostly empty street, Nicky and Aaron sat in the backseats with Kevin between them and Andrew behind the wheel. Ten minutes later they were stepping out onto the tarmac in front of a dirty-white oval building. It wasn’t as big as other NCAA Exy stadiums but it was certainly bigger than a high school of juvie court. Kevin lead them to the athlete’s entrance. Right at the entrance was a small room with two rundown couches and a couple of chairs, as well as a whiteboard in the far corner. A long corridor stretched from the room into what Andrew guessed was a small conference room. Andrew scoured his surroundings. There were three doors in the corridor, one on the left and two on the right. Andrew could hear a few muffled shouts coming from the closest door on the right. Two seconds later a man came stumbling out, mumbling obscenities under his breath before his eyes locked onto the four figures standing in the doorway.  
“Oh- right. You’re here. Thanks for bringing them Kevin.”  
Andrew was about to respond with a retort to that statement, as it was them who had given Kevin a ride, until he noticed Kevin freeze beside him, his expression suddenly uncomfortable.  
There was a beat of silence before Kevin quickly cleared his throat.  
“Right, no problem.”  
“Are we the first ones here?” this time it was Nicky who spoke up.  
Andrew didn’t wait for the coach’s response, choosing instead to take a seat on one of couches lifting his boots on the arm rest.  
“Hey, feet off-” coach started before he was interrupted by the door swinging open loudly.  
Andrew tried not to flinch at the noise as his eyes drifted towards the door frame, a tall guy with short brown hair standing awkwardly in the doorway. From the corner of his eyes Andrew saw Wymacks annoyed stare flicker towards the guy.  
“Ah, sorry coach. Didn’t mean to slam it like that.”  
Wymack grumbled something under his breath before a smaller figure peeked from behind the tall athlete’s shoulder.  
“Good morning, coach! Hi, Kevin. Oh, you guys must be the new recruits!” she turned towards them with a cheery tone. Andrew couldn’t help but sense nervousness behind her smile. One that didn’t quite reach her eyes.  
A small beat of awkward silence followed before Nicky was stepping in introducing them. Andrew noticed a small spark of realization in the tall athlete's, eyes as Nicky mentioned Andrew's name, a low whistle emitting from his lips.  
"You're the guy who turned down the Ravens."  
Andrew nodded nonchalantly, already annoyed with the two older teammates.  
"Why?" the guy's curious voice came through to his ears.  
Andrew shrugged. Matt’s eyes locked onto him. Andrew pretended to ignore him and Matt didn’t push as he averted his gaze. He didn't like people prying answers out of him. Asking questions that he didn't want to answer. He’d had his own reasoning and that was enough for him.  
A beat of uncomfortable silence followed and Andrew tuned out. He faintly heard the girl's voice introducing herself and her partner.  
The next half an hour was a blur. Introductions were made as other players showed up for the meeting. Andrew didn't pay much attention to it. Another awfully long ten minutes later and he was sitting on one of the couches, feet kicked up on a spare chair in front of him. Coach Wymack was going over last year's results and his plans for the new school year. Everyone was pretty intent on listening to the coach's advice. Andrew couldn't help but notice the bored expressions on the eldest players on the team. Ina Eldridge, a brunette with a permanent scowl on her face, didn't even try to hide her scoff at Wymack's encouraging words.  
"Like hell--" she laughed, her chuckles coming out bitter and blunt, "--we all know the NCAA wants us gone from the championship."  
"Yeah, coach. We barely qualified this year." This time it was Nathan Park who spoke up, his ashen fringe cutting his eyes from Andrew's view. Although if he had to take a guess, they were probably half lidded and scowling. "We'd need a miracle to qualify next year."  
"Well lucky for you I'm here now." Kevin spoke up. Andrew barely contained a scoff at that statement. There was no humor behind it though. It wasn't like Kevin was wrong, but the sheer confidence that statement required to be made was immense.  
Kevin's statement seemed to be the catalyst for disaster as the whole team collectively started talking over each other.  
Coach was trying to get the team to quiet down. He'd almost done it, but Andrew couldn't help but let his next statement slip.  
"It's gonna take more than a miracle for this team to not be permanently disqualified," he spoke his words loudly.  
Everyone seemed to stop and stare at him.  
"Oh and would you happen to be that 'more than a miracle'?"  
Andrew only stared stone faced at that, grinning internally. "Me? I don't give two damns about the sport."  
This sent the whole team into chaos again. Andrew was happy to watch it all unfold in front of his own eyes, watching the team fall into chaos.  
A sudden movement at the corner of his vision made him snap his head to the far wall, only to be met with bare white chipping paint. He could've sworn for a second though, he had seen a smirking figure staring directly at him. A smirk burned at the back of his mind, but he paid it no mind as he pushed the thought away and went back to listening in on the various conversations taking place around him. The problem with a photographic memory though, is that images like those are very hard to get rid of.  
\---------  
Andrew had mostly tuned out by the time coach Wymack had made everyone settle down. He barely acknowledged Kevin's glare boring into the side of his skull.  
He didn't bother with listening to the coach's ramblings about past games and new strategies.  
He was too caught up in looking around the room at the other players. Most of the glum faces Andrew saw were filled with indifference to coach's words, much like his own. Kevin Day was still swimming in Wymack's words, giving his input where he could, and so were the captain and Matt. Andrew noticed another girl. Her eyes seemed to flit towards him in irregular intervals and linger for half a second before always turning back towards the white board Kevin had pulled up. Andrew could see she was pretty. Her hair was a platinum blonde with a rainbow pattern on the ends. She wore a silver cross necklace and, although he could see that her expression was peaceful, he couldn't help but think that there was something eerie hiding behind it.  
Wymack had the good sense to dismiss the team almost an hour later with the instruction of getting some rest in before the start of practice the next morning.  
The whole team was dismissed and Andrew opted to go back to the dorms and gave no room for discussion as he climbed into the driver’s seat of his car.  
Ten minutes later they were pulling up at foxtower with Matt, Danielle and Kevin, right on their tails in Matt's truck.  
Andrew didn't stop when he stepped out of the car, heading straight for the door and up the stairs of the bustling athlete's dormitory. He wasn't bothered to run but he didn't want to be stuck with the other members of the team for longer than he had to.  
God, he needed a smoke and as much of a health freak he knew Kevin was, he wasn't budging on that.  
There was something about Kevin though that Andrew just couldn't place. An unsettling fear that dove deeper than just exasperation from an overly controlling regimen. Andrew would have to figure out what it was.  
And who was Kevin to tell him what to do? Other than an annoying ass, of course.  
He buried one hand in his pocket in search of his pack and took out a cigarette, his other hand diving for the lighter. He hurriedly closed the dorm door behind him and went to the closest window. A thin grate hung loose behind it, presumably a lousy defense against bugs. It took him all of five seconds to tear it down and light his cigarette.  
By the time Nicky, Aaron and Kevin entered the room, he had already taken a few drags. Aaron didn't spare him a second glance as he picked up his suitcase from the carpet and walked towards the bedroom. Nicky sat down on the couch, glancing between the broken grid and Andrew but didn't comment on it. Andrew looked back at Kevin who'd stopped in the doorway, glaring at Andrew. Though as soon as he saw the blond staring back at him, his frown seemed to falter, his eyebrows pulled down with wariness. Then his stare seemed to veil over. His green eyes stared blankly ahead at the spot where Andrew was. Andrew examined the expression that had taken over Kevin's face. One that seemed to hide every emotion Kevin had ever felt like a black curtain on a stage. And yet, a small glimmer of something seeped through. Smoke on a stage revealing the dreary scene that's to come. A small speck of terror in those emerald green eyes.  
Andrew could see Nicky fidgeting from the corner of his eyes as the atmosphere in the room got more and more tense by the second. Andrew dropped his half-finished cigarette out the window and stood up straight from where he had been leaning on the windowsill. Even when he made a move towards his luggage, Kevin's eyes never left the spot where he had been. It was like something had caught the player's attention and was adamant about keeping it locked away. The thought made Andrew shiver, although he didn't know why.  
Finally, Andrew went to his suitcase, snapping his fingers in front of Kevin's face as he did so. He turned away as Kevin violently flinched, curiosity and caution welling up underneath.  
He brushed off Kevin's glare burning holes at the back of his head and went to pick up his suitcase and carry it to the bedroom. He decided against it though.  
He slowly lifted his body and looked around at Nicky, who was still watching everything unfold from behind the armrest of the couch with a grimace. He completely ignored Kevin's tense look and slammed the door behind himself as he stepped into the hallway.  
Loud voices could still be heard throughout the athletes' dorms. A loud banging noise here and there, a quiet rumble of a car coming from outside. Andrew could hear students making rounds of the dorms from the lower floors, a soft knocking, some happy voices, a few seconds' pause for a hug and a door closing again as the noise slowly faded. A conundrum of sounds that Andrew would have to get used to.  
“Doesn't mean that I'll ever start loving it." he thought as he descended the stairs. He made it to the ground floor and opened the door to the outside. A soft breeze hit his pale face. He sneered as he saw a few heads turn to face him at the sound of the door opening, a hint of a frown just slightly visible in the crease of his brows.  
He felt a chill run up his spine. The atmosphere seemed so change in a matter of seconds as the mid-July evening suddenly drifted to a cold winter morning. Andrew could feel his heart rate picking up speed for no reason. His breathing became labored and his body was all of a sudden pumping adrenaline as if it had been repressed by an invisible force for all this time.  
He stood still, eyes wide and mouth agape like a deer caught in headlights.  
Is no one else feeling this?  
Andrew felt himself trembling. He told himself it was from the cold as he wrapped his arms around himself.  
Then he saw it again, in the periphery of his eyes. That smirk, this time accompanied by a mop of auburn hair. His eyes scanned his surroundings, coming up short.  
Suddenly, the world around him seemed to resume. The summer sun's warmth inundated him all of a sudden as it sank into his dark clothes.  
Andrew could breathe properly again but it was only after he'd regained motion in his limbs that he continued his shaky walk towards the hood of his car. He still felt slightly winded as he leaned on the hood of his car. His fingers trembled as he reached for a cigarette and lit it. He put it between his lips and slowly took a drag, making sure to fill his lungs and puffing out the gray tendrils of smoke, releasing a breath into the air. The tension slightly dissipated from his body. He leaned back, with his back to the windbreaker and his legs dangling off the edge.  
It hadn't been his first experience with situations like this. Ever since he was small, all sorts of things that he couldn't explain to himself or others without sounding insane, had kept happening. From imaginary friends that other foster children would tease him for, to nights passed with insomnia because of shadows whispering for him to help them. Most of those experiences had almost stopped by the age of fifteen but, lately they seemed to have picked up again. Not that he had ever paid them any mind.  
He brought the cigarette to his mouth again. He took a long drag. The sky above him had suddenly covered up with a dull gray. He breathed out the smoke which melted seamlessly into the gray clouds. He'd stopped shaking.  
He watched the sky with trained eyes for a couple of minutes, subconsciously memorizing every bird that flew by. The way their wings fluttered in the breeze as they prepared to take off from the near tree branches. It was still very warm, not that it ever got particularly cold in the state of South Carolina.  
He slowly sat up, resting his forearms on his legs as he leaned forward, inspecting that his armbands still covered all of the scarred area, still in their place.  
__  
After the incident with Kevin, Andrew had come to realize that behaviors like that were to be expected with Kevin. He would often stop in the middle of a task and stare into space, mumbling jumbled words which Andrew couldn't make out. And every time there was no way of snapping him out of it. His eyes always remained glazed over and no matter what you did it was impossible to get a reaction out of him. Andrew couldn't say he wasn't creeped out. He'd tried to figure out what was going on on multiple occasions. He'd tried prying the answers out of Kevin directly one day but all he'd earned was the knowledge that Kevin was really good at deflecting topics and a likely long lecture about not caring enough about the sport which he'd walked out of before it could even really start.  
Andrew was fidgeting with the fabric of the run-down couch of the dorm room. He'd run by a hundred ways to force an explanation out of Kevin and none of them worked. Kevin had made a point of wanting to spend as much time as he could away from them, mostly hanging out with the "upperclassmen", as Nicky had dubbed them.  
In that very moment, Nicky came straggling through the door with a bored look on his face which slightly tensed when he saw Andrew sitting in the living space. It didn't deter him from sitting down on the other end of the couch though, that bored expression never leaving his face. It was a few heavy seconds later that he opened his mouth to speak: "We should go to Eden's again soon. We haven't been in a while. Stop at Sweetie's along the way."  
Andrew wasn't above a good night out, as long as Nicky and Aaron didn't get themselves in any sticky situations. But it got him thinking. Would Kevin be foolish enough to accept an invite for a night out with them? Probably not, he figured. But maybe having someone else there with him could convince him. Boyd seemed like the perfect candidate. Andrew had heard about him before going to Palmetto. He'd learned about his past drug abuse and figured he wasn't above getting back into it. Andrew did feel minimally bad for the collateral damage that he was inevitably about to cause, but the well-being of his closest, definitely came first. And even if the plan backfired on him at some point, he wouldn't regret it. He never did regret much.  
His thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling in his stomach. Andrew sat up in his seat, darting one last look at Nicky who had plopped down in front of the coffee table, and made a beeline for the fridge. His eyes darted over the mostly empty rows of food, finding nothing that didn't require a slight understanding of how a kitchen works.  
His stomach growled again in hunger, more aggressive than the last time. Leaning back he shut the door and quickly opened the freezer compartment, finding it mostly empty except for a tub of raspberry ice-cream. 

__

The empty tub of ice cream sat on the kitchen counter, waiting to be thrown away, as the group made their way to the stadium for their first exy practice of the season.  
Kevin had tried scolding Andrew for eating too much ice cream, stating that 'athletes should not, under any circumstances eat this much ice cream, least of all exy players.' One impassive look from Andrew and he was turning to face the other way, grumbling annoyed words under his breath.  
Once they split off though, Kevin riding with Matt and the other upperclassmen, everything seemed to quiet down around Andrew.  
The locker room smelled of acrid sweat. The once white tiles were stained a pale yellow in a way that would never wash out. Andrew considered the layout once he found the locker with his name on it. His gear had already been stuck inside by some poor under paid worker. The home goalie uniform folded neatly in one of the compartments, another orange one right beside it.  
Everyone had already started filing out of the locker room by the time Andrew had started putting his hear on. Andrew ignored Kevin's annoyed scowl as he glared at Andrew before leaving. Andrew had wanted to make a point about where he stood with the sport.  
Wymack had already started explaining the schedule as Andrew entered the court. He stopped, seeing Andrew stepping out of the door in full gear, protective pads dwarfing his normal stature. With a resigned sigh Wymack just shook his head at Andrew before continuing.  
The practice session started with a few precision drills. Boredom was a recurring state for Andrew and yet, he's never felt quite as bored as those next few hours. He almost forgot all about his plans. He would've if it wasn't for Kevin staring off into the hollow distance every once in a while, face paling every time.  
The players' voices rang out across the court, bouncing off the plexiglass walls and filling Andrew's ears. Barks of laughter, quick footsteps, shouts, grunts. But every time the ball stopped, he could hear an extra pair of footsteps, an extra echo of a voice off the plexiglass. It always seemed to melt in with the background noise and stand out stark naked at the same time.  
Andrew chalked it up to the weird acoustics of the stadium, he'd never been in a closed space quite as big as that and just thinking that there could be even bigger ones was almost unfathomable. And yet he still felt trapped somehow. There existed no space big enough to make him feel truly free other than being outside, he'd learned to coexist with it.  
He heard it again, that ricocheting bout of laughter, this time clearer. The image of that smirk burning at the back of him mind, chilling him to the bone. Just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared again and the goal on his side lit up red, followed by Seth Gordon's wretched cheers. Andrew blinked. He didn't know what had just happened. He'd been keeping track of the ball in his periphery, no one had gotten a ball in the whole day, not even Kevin. Seth wouldn't have either if whatever that had been hadn't distracted him. Not that he really cared. He was happy to let a ball in, if only to let the asshole's hopes drop down a wishing well in the end.  
But Andrew wasn't there to play stupid games. He had to get to the bottom of things. He needed to figure out why Kevin Day's gaze fell into nothingness that often. Why his face would go pale every time it happened. Why his eyes lit up with a terrible fear. What was terrorizing him? Was it intrusive thoughts? Traumatic memories? Or was it something more... why did his eyes glaze over every time it happened?  
\----  
Andrew had decided the best way to convince or rather intimidate Kevin to go with them to Columbia that Friday was to corner him in their dorm once they came back from practice.  
Kevin had barely had the time to put down his sports bag before Andrew was stalking towards him, impassive glare adorning his face as usual.  
Kevin's expression was wary, bordering more and more on terrified the closer Andrew got to him.  
Nicky casually plopped himself on the couch while Aaron walked directly past them and into the shared bedroom.  
The ex raven's gaze was still firmly fixed onto Andrew. His features scrunching with his flinching movements at every sudden noise.  
"You're coming with us to Columbia on Friday."  
His posture stiffened, features going blank as he stared at Andrew before bewilderment broke out on his face as his brain seemed to have caught up with the words. Bewilderment, however, quickly turned into outrage as Kevin yelled out: "What? I'm not going anywhere with you!"  
Andrew suppressed his flinch at this new side of Kevin. He'd usually seemed too cowardly to so much as glance at Andrew, never mind yelling back at him.  
Andrew continued unperturbed: "You're coming with us to Columbia. You're spending the night. Wear something nice."  
The fight in Kevin's eyes seemed to die down very quickly the longer he stared into Andrew's impassive expression. His shoulders slumped and his expression became weary again. A glare was still present on his face and he was about to start talking again. Andrew didn't wait to hear what he had to say. He turned around casually and made his way out the door. Noting Nicky's amused expression as he watched the events unfold from his spot in the ratty couch.  
Before leaving the room he yelled out: “Matt will be joining us as well!”  
Of course he hadn’t even asked Matt yet. He’d get Nicky to do it later.  
He slammed the door behind him. But before he could make his way down the steps of Fox Tower a figure caught in the periphery of his vision. A chill ran down his spine, the air around him had suddenly become cold, unwelcoming. When he'd first stepped into Fox Tower he'd been caught off guard by the warm atmosphere of the place, the constant sound of doors opening and closing, footsteps, laughter and what not, never made you feel truly alone. Yet, in that moment, Andrew felt like the sole survivor in a post apocalyptic scenario. Everything had gone still. The flickering broken light from the hallway had come to a standstill.  
Andrew turned towards where he'd seen the figure. Or at least. Where he thought he'd seen it. His eyes roamed over a small staircase. From what Andrew knew, the team had all been assigned dorms on the last floor of the building. They'd also been warned not to go on the roof for any reason, unless they wanted to risk getting a fine.  
He'd have to think about that some other time, he thought to himself as he approached the spot where the figure had been standing, walking up to an old metal door with rusted hinges which looked like it hadn't been opened in years.  
His heart beat hard in his chest, despite his casual demeanor.  
Careful steps. He hesitantly reached out. The rusty metal handle creaked as he pulled it down. The door didn’t give beneath his push, despite its flimsy appearance. Andrew moved closer to the door.  
He had one rule which he had followed religiously up until then. No matter how much sorrow. How much collateral damage he caused. He wouldn’t regret anything. He was adamant in keeping it that way.  
This time was not an exception.  
Andrew couldn’t care less who that was and what he’d just seen. Except, someone doesn’t just see a figure for no reason and Andrew wasn’t prone to hallucinations which mean that he’d have to get to the bottom of this.  
The sturdy metal tore down a large piece of paint as he pushed it open. The old lock looked like it had been broken for a while. The door slowly swung open, revealing an empty rooftop. A plastic bag and bird feces the only thing adorning the surfaces. Uncharacteristically rainy clouds covered the setting sun, only few orange beams making it past the cracks.  
A laugh. Light. A chuckle in the wind, yet clear as day. Another smirk and the door clicked shut behind Andrew. He hardly noticed as his stomach clenched shut. A burn in his throat. He could hear his accelerated pulse in his ears. A dark figure flickered into sight, like static on a TV. The thing sat unmoving on the edge of the roof. Its head tilted forward.  
And before Andrew could even blink, it was gone. The sky had gone dark all of a sudden. Dim street lamps lighting up the roof. Shadows hung around him. Andrew decided it was time to go back. Before that thing could even think of coming back. The door surprisingly flung open easily.  
Andrew thought back to what had just happened on the way back down the stairs. It hadn’t exactly been the first time he’d seen something like that. Demons and monsters from his wretched childhood followed him anywhere he went. And yet, despite the disappearing figures and sudden weather changes this hadn't felt any less real then the other ones. Screw it, there had to be something. Maybe it was all an elaborate prank. There must've been a plausible explanation.  
He stopped in front of his room about to open the door. He couldn’t reach for it fast enough that someone was already opening it from the other side. Andrew started backwards, having been lost in his thoughts just seconds earlier. A rather disheveled Nicky, who looked like he’d gotten up just ten minutes earlier stepped out of the door with a sports bag in hand. He was shouting at someone inside.  
“Come on! We’re going to be la-dude! Where have you been?” Nicky stopped mid-sentence as he took in the image of Andrew standing in front of him.  
“What do you mean?”  
“God,” Nicky just shakes his head “you’ve been here -what?- one day maybe? And you’ve already found a casual hookup. What is your secret?”  
Andrew stared at him dumbly. Was he fucking with him?  
“What the fuck are you talking about?”  
“You were gone the whole night.”  
Andrew froze at that. He was fairly sure Nicky could see the cogs turning in his head. That couldn’t be possible. He had been up there for maybe ten minutes. He’d barely seen the sun go down. He hadn’t fallen asleep on the roof. He was pretty sure about that. But then…  
“What time is it?” he demanded.  
Nicky blinked wide-eyed at him but saw the warning in Andrew’s stare before checking the time on his phone.  
“7am...we were just about to head out for morning practice. Kevin’s already at the stadiu-” Andrew didn’t stop to listen. He had to get away. He took the stairs down to the ground floor and found himself leaning against his car again. Cigarette in hand and lighter in the other. He lit his cigarette and moved it to his lips, taking a shaky drag from it.  
\-----  
It’s not like Andrew had ever been an avid drug user, or an alcoholic, but the effects never seemed to be as strong as they should with him. It wasn’t just recreational drugs either. No, medical drugs also only worked so much in his favour. He had never allowed himself to up dosages. An overdose not really being his favoured way to go. Instead he just stopped bothering and resigned himself on being the designated driver on those nights in which Nicky and Aaron would get too wasted. Not that he’d let them touch his car in the first place.  
And that’s how Andrew found himself looking at Kevin through the rear-view mirror from the driver’s seat, observing his every action as much as he could without crashing. Kevin looked uncomfortable but not in distress, as he’d looked at the beginning of the car ride. His black turtle-neck clung to every curve of muscle on his upper body, little ripples of skin visible from the tiny purposefully induced rips in the fabric. A great contrast to the loose, dark cargo trousers. Andrew had offered to pick out an outfit for him but Kevin had surprised him with the dark clothes that he already owned. Knowing The Ravens, Andrew had thought it a miracle that he even had clothes of his own.  
Nicky had luckily managed to get Matt to join them and the two were now making small talk. Matt looked almost out of place in his colourful blue shirt and light wash jeans - scratch that, he looked wholly out of place - but Andrew knew that bringing Matt along would calm Kevin at least a little. This way he'd hopefully get more answers out of him.  
He turned back to the road and took the nearest exit which lead them to Sweetie’s, a lovely diner at the edge of the highway known for their fantastic ice-cream and their cracker dust. Andrew pulled into the car park and waited for a hesitant Kevin to step out of the car before stepping out himself. Kevin’s eyes were trained on the neon signs displaying the menu, scrutinizing the entrance. It was a classic fifties style restaurant with an all you can eat salad and snack buffet and worn red leather booths all around the big main room.  
“What are we doing here?” Kevin asked, now a confused frown adorning his face.  
Nicky and Aaron had already gone ahead to get a table, Matt immediately following after them. Keeping an eye on Kevin had become Andrew’s goal for the night and as soon as he had stopped in front of the entrance Andrew had stopped too. At first he’d thought it another one of Kevin’s episodes but his face wasn't pale and his eyes seemed to be roaming the present.  
“What, do you take alcohol on an empty stomach?” the loudness of his voice made Kevin flinch but he didn’t comment on it. Instead he started walking towards the double doors, pushing on the fake brass handle.  
The all-you-can-eat buffet came into view immediately. A bowl of cracker packets stood on a stand beside the cash register with a sign encouraging customers to not take more than four packets. Andrew took four out and put them in his pocket before making sure that Kevin was following him and leading them to their table. Nicky and Aaron were already ordering the day’s special serving of ice cream for everyone when they arrived at the table. Making sure that Kevin’s eyes were trained on him, he feigned nonchalance as he took the packets out of his pockets and slipped them to the waiter who was taking their order. Kevin’s movements stilled with a questioning look, which no one bothered to answer, targeted at the rest of the group as the waiter returned with their special orders and their very special orders bundled up in a mountain of tissue paper and napkins. Andrew was quick to dig into the mountain and dig out the packets, stuffing them in his pockets. Kevin was now flat-out staring in disbelief and was about to utter his disgruntled complaints. Andrew cut him off before he could even mutter a single word.  
“Careful, wouldn’t want to get us caught. You being Kevin Day wouldn’t stop the NCAA from suspending us from championships, especially if it would mean permanently disqualifying the worst team in exy history.” Kevin quickly shut his mouth and looked away instead frowning at the ice-cream. Andrew knew this was playing dirty, but he also didn’t want to spend another few years in hell. Not if he could help it.  
Kevin’s mouth opened again, eyes flitting around the table. The other’s nonplussed expressions must’ve stubbed on his hopes as he shut his mouth with an indignant grunt before turning to face across the diner towards the small pile of sausage rolls on the snack buffet. Andrew couldn’t see his face clearly from that angle but he could imagine the athlete’s dark brows pinched in a frown, the corners of his mouth pressed down at the edge of a pout.  
Andrew turned to admire the rich ice cream cup in front of him. Ever since they’d started coming to sweeties, they’d always ordered the same thing along with the crackers, mostly because they hadn’t known what else to order. The Sweetie’s Special had been stapled at the top of the menu card ever since that first time. Four creamy flavours of gelato, a glossy chocolate topping and sprinkled with oreo dust. Truly an athlete’s nightmare. As far as Andrew was concerned, the absolute best ice cream out there. He dug in.  
\----  
The only times during their ice cream feast in which Andrew hadn’t had his eyes trained on the sweet bomb, were the ones in which he was sending quick glances towards Kevin. The athlete, hadn’t touched any of the ice cream, which had quickly melted into a puddle of sweet mud.  
Andrew wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t love the taste of ice cream so much. The diner had gotten uncharacteristically cold about half way through them eating. Kevin’s shoulders had bunched up and he’d looked around before his gaze had pointed somewhere and his eyes had glazed over, his face turning pale and void of all emotion. Andrew had followed his line of sight only to end up on the dish of sausage rolls again.  
He huffed out a sigh, feeling his own skin ripple with a shudder as a small gush of cold air hit the back of his exposed neck. He pulled his leather jacket tighter around himself but to no avail. The cool temperature seemed to pierce right through his clothes and through his skin, freezing him up from the inside out. Along with the cold, a sinking feeling in his stomach hit him. A tightness in his chest and a knot in his throat. His fingers felt frozen in place and burning with the kind of pain that you only get from being in the cold for too long. Eyes stapled open wide as the light seemed to brighten only to dim moments later, his eyes struggling to keep up with the quick changes.  
All at once, warmth started to seep into him again, the coldness flowing out of his body in an instant. The feeling of his stomach melting was gone and so was the sudden panic he’d felt. He tried moving his fingers, only to find they were completely fine and functional, without a trace of the coldness he’d felt earlier.  
As he looked up, he was met with Kevin’s calculating gaze. His eyebrows were pinched in a frown as he seemed to take in any and all expressions that Andrew would give. Every twitch of the mouth, every eye movement. Anything that could give away how he was feeling. Andrew hadn’t let any of that slip into view in years. Not a tiny spasm, a quirk of a brow, a twist of a lip. A storm of suppressed emotions had boiled in his chest for years before they’d become too much to handle. But his walls had been too strong. The cement too sturdy, the bricks too thick, to let it all out. Instead, Andrew’s mind had imploded upon itself taking with it everything Andrew had ever wanted and dreamed of. It had left him with a never ending, tormenting calm, a void expanse of snow with no sunlight reflecting off of it. A carefully crafted mask of present neutrality had remained plastered on his face ever since.  
Kevin’s frown deepened the longer he looked, irritation growing as he couldn’t find anything. The frown faltered as soon as he found Andrew’s eyes and made eye contact with him, a glint of wariness in his gaze that flickered away as he turned his head.  
It didn’t take long for them to finish their cups and leave the restaurant, the chill air of the mid summer night pleasant against his face.  
They quickly made it to the car and soon after they were headed to the club. Andrew had seen it immediately, the neon purple sign that said "Eden's Twilight" in round letters, a neon martini glass tipped over on the side. The purple and blue lights escaped the front exit, music pumping loud and erratic.  
Eden's Twilight had been a regular hang out spot for Andrew, Aaron and Nicky ever since Andrew had gotten out of juvie. Nicky and Aaron liked to get drunk with the occasional light drug mixed in there while Andrew watched over them from the bar chairs. On regular nights Andrew wouldn’t even bother ordering a drink. He'd already had way too many to not know about his uncapability of getting drunk. Tonight wasn't a regular night though, not by any means. Andrew had to get some answers out of Kevin, drinking along would hopefully cause Kevin to let his guard down.  
Andrew wasn't naive enough to believe Kevin to be as dumb as he seemed sometimes. He'd seen the wariness and distrust trickle from his face. Expressions muted and emotions muffled behind cold eyes. The occasional flinch at a loud noise, and the way he distanced himself as much as he could from possible violent conflict. He wouldn't be surprised if Kevin refused to drink at all that night.  
Andrew had dropped off the others and left to park the car. With quick steps along the pavement he reached the entrance of the bar where the bouncer, a tall robust guy with a brilliant smile, dressed in all black let him through right away.  
Andrew didn't even need to know which booth they were at beforehand, letting muscle memory guide them to the table they always sit at. They'd sat there so many times that the staff would call it the "Minyard-Hemmick zone". "Not very creative, I know." had said Roland, a barista at Eden's who he'd quickly became acquainted with, although he wouldn't admit at some point they had been a bit more than that, no feelings involved.  
He approached the table, surveying the rest of the bar as he did so.  
"Finally," came Nicky's elated voice "now we can finally get nice and drunk!"  
Andrew noticed how the loud sudden tone made Kevin flinch even above the ruckus of the club. Kevin eyed him quizzically then as his words set in, almost as if he weren't sitting in a bar.  
"Kevin." he didn't add anything more, gesturing slightly with his head as Kevin turned to look at him before heading off for the counter, not waiting for Kevin to follow, hoping that his stern expression would be enough. Before leaving though, he faintly heard Kevin plead with Matt to go instead of him. Andrew could hear Matt's reassuring words and firm pat on Kevin's shoulder before a chai was being pushed out.  
As he approached the bar he noticed Roland was busy with some other customers and stopped, waiting patiently for him to be done. Kevin stopped right on his heels and stood awkwardly trying to look anywhere but at Andrew's considerably smaller form.  
It didn't take long for Roland to be done with the other customers and as soon as he saw Andrew, he greeted them with a warm smile, turning a bit too knowing when he noticed Kevin beside him.  
"Hey Andrew, who's your new friend?"  
"This guy?" Andrew pointed lazily at Kevin "No one in particular."  
Kevin sputtered indignantly at that but Andrew just ignored him, earning a dejected grumble from the older athlete.  
"I see..." Roland eyed Kevin with a calculating gaze before turning back to Andrew "so what can I get for ya?"  
"Usual round of shots, make that an extra three today." Andrew said nonchalantly.  
"Oh?" Roland questioned not making any further comment.  
Andrew didn't hear any sound of protest coming from Kevin. Not a grumble or a whine. So he turned towards him slightly, suspicious of the sudden silence. The atmosphere changed all of a sudden, the sweaty dancing bodies no longer heating the environment around them, lights no longer flashing. The mindnumbing music seemed to slow down and freeze as did everything else except for Andrew and Kevin. His breathing coming out erratic as his face paled again while looking straight ahead at the crowd. Andrew's own breathing was erratic and he could feel the sound of his heartbeat loud in his ears, clouding his senses. He followed Kevin's line of sight, breath hitching, mouth dry, as he took in the dark figure standing in front of them. Blood dripping on the floor from open wounds everywhere, blisters and burn marks exposing raw flesh. Andrew could barely make out any features of the figure's face, but the smirk it wore made a shiver run down Andrew's back. Andrew knew that smirk. It was the same one that had been haunting his dreams for the last couple of weeks, wicked and way too wide to be natural. And then there was blue. A haunted and haunting blue that filled Andrew with such emptiness and sorrow that would last him for years. They made him want to sink down into the ground right then and there just to stop the pain that had started to rip the insides of his chest apart. And yet, at the same time, Andrew got the immense urge dive right into them.  
The figure was suddenly gone. The crowd of dancing people resumed, lights still flashing almost overwhelmingly. As if nothing had ever happened. As if he'd hallucinated everything. One look at Kevin's still panicked expression told him otherwise. Andrew ignored his own erratic heart beat as he handed Roland the packets of cracker dust as nonchalantly and unconspicuously as possible. Once their drinks were done, they headed back to the  
table. This time, Kevin was always one step ahead of him, making space for the tray. Once at the booth, Andrew set the tray down more violently than he'd hoped for. His figure was still shaking from the previous experience. But another emotion was quickly bubbling up inside of him, a deep searing rage at what he'd just witnessed. It frustrated him beyond belief just how lost he was in that situation and it didn't help that Kevin seemed to be avoiding his gaze and hiding something potentially huge information.  
He decided he wasn't going to wait for Kevin to get incoherent from drinking and cracker dust to get his answers.  
"Kevin." his face took on a shade of darkness, not revealing any of the underlying sentiments as he looked at the taller athlete who visibly gulped.  
"Ye-" he cleared his throat as his voice came out weak "yes?"  
"Mind having a chat, in private?"  
Nicky and Aaron's faces took on a bewildered expression, not even trying to hide their stupor.  
"Where are you bringing him?" Andrew barely registered Matt's concerned voice. Dark eyes met his as he turned around. Matt's expression was intense and questioning. Andrew didn't want to listen to him. He knew he would snap if he wouldn't get away from there immediately.  
"Matt it's fine." Kevin sounded like he was trying to convince himself.  
"Are you sure?" Matt's voice and expression had reluctantly calmed down.  
Andrew didn't wait for them to say anything else and stomped off through the sweaty bodies, avoiding contact as much as possible. His mind was still trying to fathom what had just happened, hands still shaking and heart still hammering in his ears. Sweat pooled at his temples and in the palms of his hands which he tried to rub clean on his trousers without much success. He tried stomping his feet to get some steam out, but even that didn't seem to help at all. He still felt overwhelmed with fear. Andrew had experienced fear in his life. Learned to shut it out. But this wasn't the usual type of fear that comes with real tangible threats.  
It was the nauseating fear that comes with absolute uncertainty in front of the unknown.  
He walked as quickly as possible, only eyeing Kevin to make sure he was following him.  
Being friends with the staff gave Andrew a few extra liberties. One of which was access to the back door, which he promptly swung open, grabbing a hold of Kevin's shirt collar and roughly dragging him to the other side. Once outside, he slammed Kevin's back against the wall, firmly pinning him in place. The back door lead directly to a small alley behind the club where they kept the garbage bins. Occasionally staff would also smoke there on their breaks.  
He moved his face closer, still pinning him in place, now only inches away from him. The proximity would've usually made him uncomfortable, if it weren't for the imminent threat to which only Kevin held the answers.  
His expression didn't change but his voice was wary as he asked:"What...the fuck...was that?"  
His words held the utmost clarity, yet Kevin’s eyes were unfocused, shimmering with fear and resentment and a spark of bewilderment.  
“What the fuck was that?” he repeated, accentuating his words by slamming Kevin’s back against the wall again. Kevin flinched and hissed at the pain, but his eyes remained searching for something. A sign perhaps, that Andrew had seen the figure as vividly as he had. Andrew only tightened his grip on Kevin’s shirt.  
The atmosphere changed yet again. The music from the bar stopped abruptly, giving way to an eerie silence. A small breeze started up again and tickled the back of Andrew’s neck like an uncomfortably freezing breath.  
The silence dragged on. Neither Andrew nor Kevin said anything. The invisible force that Andrew had felt at the nape of his neck disappeared but the cold persisted.  
Finally Kevin’s voice perked up:”You saw that?”  
It was quiet. Small. It made Andrew want to scoff in his face.  
“Hard not to when they’re dripping blood everywhere.” Andrew deadpanned.  
And when their eyes were as blue as they were.  
Andrew shook that thought out of his head.  
“Yeah, but you saw it!” his voice was louder this time. It rang against the walls of the empty alleyway. His brows were now pinched, a determined look in his eyes.  
Andrew let out a small puff of air. Maybe Kevin was willing to talk after all.  
"What exactly was that?"  
"It was a-" Kevin stopped abruptly, as if he'd already said too much.  
"A what?" Andrew prompted calmly. Kevin seemed to weigh his intense gaze for a few seconds, finally wavering and giving into it.  
"A ghost," Kevin said solemnly, staring into Andrew's eyes, his own eyes forming wary slits as he repeated, "it was a ghost."  
Andrew blinked blankly at him. He'd tried to avoid this conclusion as much as possible. He'd always been a hard skeptic so when things happened to him he was always willing to go to great lengths to look for plausible explanations. Truth is, the 'plausible' explanations were always more far-fetched than the unnatural ones. Andrew would rather die than admit it, if he was being honest. And even now that he was faced with confirmation, evidence, that what he'd been seeing wasn't exactly natural, he still struggled to believe it.  
"Yeah, and I'm little red riding hood's grandma."  
Kevin sent him a disbelieving look, lips forming around words which he struggled to express. Finally he said "You can't be serious!"  
Andrew didn't say anything but an uneasy feeling churned in his gut as the small wind picked up again.  
"You know what you saw!" Kevin practically shouted at him.  
"Oh, do I?"  
In reality, nothing could explain what had been happening to Andrew recently other than something sinister.  
Kevin sputtered a bit at his response before regaining his composure and biting out:" Listen, I don't know how the fuck you were able to see that at all. Ghosts don't usually show themselves to random people. Unless...".  
Andrew observed Kevin for a few seconds. By the end of his sentence the bite had been replaced by a conspiratory tone. Andrew could see his brain making connections from a mile away.  
"Unless?"  
"Unless you happen to have supernatural powers like me."  
Andrew briefly wondered if he'd hit his head too hard on the wall earlier, but Kevin was already on a rant. Andrew could only stomach so much of it before he had to stop him.  
"Hold on-"  
"In that case is would make sense for the Moriyamas to want you on their side-"  
"Stop-"  
"They probably knew what hind of powers you have-"  
"Kevin."  
"Maybe you-..."  
Andrew had had enough if it. He slipped a knife out of his sleeve — he always took one with his just in case — and edged it to the side of Kevin's jaw. The cold metal of the knife must've finally gotten Kevin's attention because he stopped abruptly, eyes wide a hint of fear started pouring into his expression.  
"Now, let's go over this again, but slowly. What do the Moriyamas have anything to do with this?"  
Kevin swallowed a visible lump in his throat.  
"Nothing." he answered.  
Andrew could feel he was lying. He didn't press it. He knew what the Moriyamas were capable of and he wasn't interested in dipping any part of his body in it. Not even a strand of hair. He decided to deviate the conversation.  
"What did that thing want?"  
Kevin thought about it for a few seconds, brows pinched together.  
"I don't know." Kevin's fear was almost palpable in his tone. Voice straining to not quiver when thinking about the figure's soulless face, the bloodied nails and burn marks.  
"It went away almost as soon as I noticed it." Andrew prompted.  
"Ghosts do that a lot."  
"Do what,"  
"Target one person at a time. They like to prey on the lonely, the defenseless. They don't like other people walking in on their business." Kevin's voice quivered.  
Andrew turned the thought over in his head again and again. The churning in his gut was back full force now, the cold playing like hands at the back of his neck making him want to run away right then and there. He decided against it, another sudden thought popping into his brain.  
"What if you stayed around me the whole time? Would that drive them away?" the words were out of his mouth before he could even think of stopping them.  
Kevin eyed him suspiciously: "That would probably work. Why?"  
Andrew thought about what answer he could give to that, one idea in particular prodding incessantly at his mind to be let out. Every second that passed, the thought became heavier and harder to contain.  
In the end Andrew gave up. Sighing at the ground as he slowly lifted his gaze to settle on Kevin again. Looking directly at Kevin as he contemplated his next words. Then, with a solemn tone and unreadable expression he said: "Let's make a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo so I was supposed to post this yesterday but I forgot about some plans so here it is today! This ended up being 8.8k. The next one will probably be a bit longer. Chapter 3 is already in the works! It took me about a month to write this one, the next one shouldn't take me any longer, so please stick around for it!
> 
> Also, to clarify the CW in the story description. I won't be mentioning anything that hasn't already been mentioned in the original work. I will be going over the same issues, this time from Andrew's POV.
> 
> I've also decided to forego the medication because I always had an issue with the portrayal in the original series.
> 
> \- Rico

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading. 
> 
> -Rico


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